A hydraulic valve directs the flow of a liquid medium, usually oil, through a hydraulic system. The direction of the oil flow is determined by the position of a spool or a poppet. The size of the valve may be determined by the maximum flow of the hydraulic system through the valve and the maximum system pressure.
An example valve may have a movable element inside a housing or sleeve. For instance, the valve may include a poppet that is movable by an actuation mechanism (e.g., electric, hydraulic, pneumatic, or manual). The poppet may be seated on a valve seat formed inside the housing. Once the valve is actuated, the poppet moves off the seat to allow flow around the poppet from a first port to a second port.
As fluid flows around the poppet, a pressure drop occurs between the first port and the second port. The larger the pressure drop, the less efficient the valve may be considered. Further, fluid flow around the poppet may cause flow forces to oppose the actuation force applied to the poppet, and as a consequence, the valve might not operate as expected.
Therefore, it may be desirable to have a valve that reduces pressure drop thereacross and also reduces the flow forces.